Flow of a Red Blood cell through a filter pore

The motion of a Red Blood cell being forced to squeeze through an axisymmetric constriction smaller than its initial dimensions is studied by means of a numerical model based on boundary integrals. The flow is driven either by a constant pressure difference or by a constant flow rate. The suspending liquid and internal capsule viscosities are equal. It is found that the maximum energy loss is due to entrance effects rather than to the flow in the pore itself. The role of membrane rigidity and size ratio can be predicted and the results can be used for the interpretation of filtration experiments.